Need seat for oversized 2 year old

[Llanarth]

My son is aged 2 years and 8 months. He weighs just over 18 kg so no longer fits his Britax Safefix plus top tether.

Am I right in saying the only option for me is the Britax Elite two-way (other than the cost :) my concern would be that it doesn't look that great for side protection, and it doesn't come with isofix, which I always understood to be important).

Alternatively should I go for a high-back booster (where I would worry about him slumping/wriggling/tantrumming etc).

I've read so much conflicting advice about the relative benefits of 5-point harnesses, side protection, isofix and age versus weight cut-offs (in terms of musculature/bone immaturity) that I really don't know what to think!

Any advice?

[TruthSweet]

You are correct - 2y 8m is just not mature enough for a high back booster. Don't forget he will have to sit absolutely still for the length of the journey and fidgeting/reaching for dropped toy/messing with seat belt could all potentially put his life at risk in an accident (even in just a sharp braking incident). He's just not old enough or mentally mature enough to see what the consequences of not sitting properly in the booster are (not just your child all children under about 4 I would think!)

The TWE doesn't look like it has good side protection but it does. You could also try the Britax Multitech (also sold through Volvo garages as a own brand seat but much cheaper) the benefit of this seat is you can use it as a hbb as well (technically you can use the TWE as a hbb but I really wouldn't it's not got the shoulder adjuster like a MT or a ordinary hbb).

Also ISOFIX isn't safer it is just less error prone so if you always take care to put the seat in properly and check it's installed solidly.

[castleonthehill]

agree with the above post.

[mylifewithstrangers]

I'm all for extended rear-facing.

However if you want to look at some forward facing seats you might want to consider the ones that use an impact cushion as they are considered safer than a full harness or an adult seatbelt. Isofix versions we have found include the Jane Montecarlo Plus and the Cybex Solution X (available in Mamas & Papas). Both are excellent seats.

The big advantage to isofix for the bigger seats is that they are held safely in the car even if the child is not sitting in it or the seatbelt done up. A loose car seat in a car is a leathal weapon in the event of an impact.

[whomovedmychocolate]

I just bought one for my two year old from Halfords as he started escaping from his Britax First Class.

It's one of these

and DS cannot move in it at all. It's fab.

[TruthSweet]

The TWE and the Multitech can be used forward facing as well as rear facing The TWE is definitely for use ffing up to 25kg (unless you have a lap belt only then it's 18kg). The Multitech I think is 25kg f/f as well as r/f but as rfing for an under 4 y/o is 5 times safer than ffing I know which I'd choose!

[Llanarth]

Hi, thank you everyone.

whomovedmychocolate: I'm guessing you can only use the harness on the team tech up to 18kg (I couldn't find the information)?

mylifewithstrangers: it says you can only use the cushions for Jane and Cybex up to 18 kg so that wouldn't work for me.

truthsweet: The Multitech looks really good (and thanks for the Volvo tip!) but it says the harness up to 25 kg is only for r/f (for f/f harness is only up to 18 kg); and as a hbb with seatbelt the weight limit is 25 kg, so to use it with a harness, he'd have to be rfacing (and once he had outgrown that, he would have outgrown it alltogether - the fact it converts to a HBB is rather redundant!).

I think therefore that the TWE would be best as he could be rfing or ffacing up to 25 kg. Do you know if you can get a head support for the TWE (like the multitech has) - i would be concerned about him sleeping in it, as it looks quite wide.

Many thanks again

[Llanarth]

actually, re the Multitech - could you use it as a HBB with the harness - i.e. use the harness to stop him wriggling, but have him secured into it with the seatbelt as per a normal HBB? (same with whomovedmychocolate's Team Tech??)

[TruthSweet]

Re. outgrowing the Multitech rfing - a 50%ile boy wouldn't hit 25kg until around 8 years old so even if you just used it rfing until 4/5 y/o when your DS would likely hit the limit you would need a high back booster then. IYSWIM.

I'm really not sure about using the harness and the seat belt I'm sure it would be fine BUT I'm just not happy about the idea I don't know why . I see what you are saying but I think I'd rather rf in a MT /TWE then booster in a Sunshine Kids Monterey or similar when the time came

[Llanarth]

yes, my boy is on the 99th percentile so will hit 25 kg aged 4 and a half.....!

Know what you mean about uncomfortable using both harness and a seatbelt - might be a bit like buckle crunch - the belt could get impeded in some way on the harness?

thank you for all your help!

[whomovedmychocolate]

Llanarth - It is not clear from the instructions but the harness will fit up to a 5 year old (we tried it with a friend) and is very secure. Besides if he's too big to fit (widthways) across the seat he can't fit between the side protectors so you wouldn't be able to get the harness on IYSWIM.

[TruthSweet]

Ah - I've just realised why using both the harness and the seat belt to secure the child made me concerned.

All EU seats have to be opened with just ONE action. That's why US style seats with chest clips are not sold in this country as it's EU law that in case of an emergency there is just one thing to undo to get the child out of the seat. Having the harness on and the seat belt on as well adds to the time taken to get a child out of the seat.

[CountessVonKnackerstein]

Hi OP, I have the same difficulty as you, my DS is 32 months, he's outgrown his britax seat and is too short for a booster.
What did you decide to get?

[MegBusset]

We've used the Jane Montecarlo isofix seat (already mentioned) since DS1 was nearly 3 (it's from age 3), it has side protection and he seems very secure in it.

[Llanarth]

truthsweet: thank for clarifying - makes sense.

CountessVonKnackerstein - I've just weighed him again at the doctor's surgery (I had weighed him at the post office before!) and he's actually still just under 18 kg (and that is in his clothes) so he's prob got anoother couple of months in his existing seat. I think the next seat will need to be the Elite Two-Way, as that's the only forward-facing one with a harness, that can be used by children over 18 kg.